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Thursday, August 6, 2015

Favorite Tunes #122: Welcome to Our Town

When you're not slaying monsters to fill your pockets or navigating dungeons, you're walking aroudn the town, buying weapons, armor, talking to NPCs to gather clues about where to go next. That, or you're kicking back to enjoy that nice music that's playing in the background.

Snowman - EarthBound Beginnings (NES)



For years, the only way gamers could play MOTHER aka Earth/Bound Zero was through emulation or the GBA compilation MOTHER 1 + 2 that was only released in Japan. That is, until Nintendo finally released the first MOTHER game as EarthBound Beginnings of this past June. Like its successors, EarthBound Beginnings has a marvelous soundtrack and many of the series iconic tunes were birthed in this game. 




These days, the Mega Man Legends series is more associated with the cancellation of the third game than the quality of the series itself. Like many a Mega Man fan, I was peeved when Mega Man Legends 3 was given the axe, but there just comes a time when you gotta move on. Anyhoo, I've always loved the super catchy, jovial feel that is Apple Market. It isn't some piece of music that you have to pump hours into the game to hear, either. No, you thankfully, get to hear this very, very early in your adventure.





Originally available on Steam and Nintendo consoles digitally, Shovel Knight has since been released on Sony and Microsofts PlayStation 4 and Xbox One platforms. What's more, the game has done well enough to receive a physical release. Come October of this year, you'll be able to hold a copy of Shovel Knight in your very own hands. Huzzah! The game is a wonderful throwback to old-school action platformers with a fantastic chiptune soundtrack from Jake Kaufman. Village theme has a few variations, but the first one gets my vote for the best of the bunch. 




The late 1990s was an interesting time for Square. They were far more willing to experiment and even though it didn't always pay off, it did lead to a few more good titles outside of the Final Fantasy brand, such as the cult classic Xenogears. The music is this game was scored by Yasunori Mitsuda and he knocked it out of the park with the game's very first town theme. 





Some could argue that the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII got way out of hand but shedding some much needed light on Zack, Cloud's friend and mentor, was one of the best things it ever did. This action/RPG is a prequel to Final Fantasy VII is without question, the best of all of the FFVII side games.




A more simplified RPG, this was touted as a game in the genre for the entry level player. As such, it dumbs down quite a few things but it certainly isn't a bad game, as some may lead you to believe. The eradication of random encounters? I don't think anyone complained about that. Something else nobody had a beef with was the music. From rock, atmospheric, and upbeat themes, this game's soundtrack has something for everyone.  


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